Throwing Feces, Acting Like a Dog, and Fountain Pens

SAN DIEGO ? A man who sneaked a bag of his feces into a San Diego courtroom during his home-invasion robbery trial, smeared it on his lawyer and threw it at jurors has been sentenced to 31 years in prison.

Superior Court Judge Frank Brown on Monday sentenced Weusi McGowan for robbery, burglary and two assault charges stemming from the feces-flinging incident during his January trial.
McGowan, who attorneys say suffers from mental illness, had asked for a mistrial because he believed jurors had seen him in restraints when he entered the courtroom.

Several days after his request was denied, McGowan pulled out a bag of excrement he had hidden in his clothing, rubbed it on his lawyer and tossed it at the jury, hitting one juror's computer case.

Talk about getting yourself into a stinky situation. I can?t believe that this guy is mentally unstable like the lawyers say.

Acting Like A Dog to Scare off Burglar

ATHENS, Ga. ? Police are investigating after an Athens woman scared off a would-be burglar by acting like a dog. The Athens Banner-Herald reported Monday that the woman scared off the suspect around 11 p.m. Saturday. According to police, the woman got on the floor and began scratching at the door and acting like a large dog when the suspicious man tried turning the woman's door knob.

The police report did not say what specific dog-like behaviors, such as barking, the woman mimicked.

The woman said the man, who appeared to be homeless, quickly ran from the porch.
Police searched the neighborhood for him, but were unsuccessful.

Talk about being creative in getting rid of an unwanted invader! I don?t think I could ever consider doing something like that should someone be stupid enough to come into my home. What would you do if you were to find yourself in a similar situation?

$3,500 Fountain Pen

I?ve always loved owning a fountain pen. Of course, I haven?t had one for a couple of years but that?s not the point. When it comes to writing I prefer doing it with pen and paper instead of on the computer. This explains why most of my research notes are on paper instead of on the computer and thus cluttering up my room.

LONDON (Reuters) ? For those not constrained by these austere times, a German luxury goods company is offering a limited edition fountain pen, adorned with pleated horsehair and starting at $3,500.

Faber-Castell, which has been in business since 1761, started its "Pen of the Year" in 2002 and each year has used a different type of rare material, including mammoth ivory, 200-year-old olive tree wood, and Indian satin wood.

The weaving of horsehair is a highly skilled, intricate and time-consuming process and one of Germany's leading experts in the art, Dorit Berger, has been working on the pens.
Horsehair presents a special challenge. The tail hairs of a horse are relatively stiff and short, and so cannot be spun to a continuous thread. They cannot be woven in a conventional way.

Speaking in the office of luxury goods store William & Son in London's upscale Mayfair district earlier this month, Count Anton-Wolfgang von Faber-Castell, CEO of the company, said the pens are increasingly sought after by collectors.

"It is becoming more and more difficult to put together a collection of all of the Pens of the Year," he told Reuters.

William & Son's Store Manager Roy Connor said he believed the horse-racing fraternity would be a strong market for the horsehair pen, which is plated in platinum and has an 18-carat gold nib.

The standard model costs $3,500 from the shop, but if a client wants a pen made with the tail hair of his own horse, a bespoke order can be carried out for around $8,000.

$3,500 for something like this? Sadly I?m not that impressed

Nothing says you have style, elegance, sophistication, and class like having a fountain pen in your hand. I absolutely love them and I want to get a brand new one soon. Of course $3500 is a tad over my budget but I?m sur